A Glam Guide to the Era of Bouffants, Pastel Faces & Persistent Hairspray Clouds
If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to get ready in 1965, imagine three things:
1) a lot of pastel makeup,
2) hair so tall it had its own gravitational pull, and
3) enough hairspray to personally contribute to the early destruction of the ozone layer.
Let’s take a glamorous—and slightly hazardous—trip back to the beauty routines of mid-century America. This was the year of Twiggy’s lashes (emerging), Elizabeth Taylor-inspired glamour, beehives, bouffants, and that ultra-feminine, “all dressed up to go to the grocery store” look.
💄 1. Lipstick (The Era of Pastel Pouts & Painted Perfection)
Popular 1965 Lipstick Brands
•Revlon — “Moon Drops” Lipsticks
• Max Factor — “Hi-Fi Color” Lipsticks
The Look
1965 loved a soft, mod lip—pinks, peaches, and nudes were everywhere. But for evenings, women still pulled out the classic Hollywood red, the kind that said “I might vacuum the house, but I’ll do it glamorously.”
Toxic or Discontinued Ingredients:
Carmine (still used today but more controversial)
Potential lead traces in pigments (yes, even then—lead was the best “staying power” ingredient money could buy)
Coal tar dyes in some red lipsticks (later restricted)
Who Made It Popular?
Brigitte Bardot — queen of the nude lip
Elizabeth Taylor — revived the dramatic red
The everyday 1965 housewife — who wore lipstick like oxygen: constantly and everywhere
🧖♀️ 2. Face Powder & Foundation (Velvety Skin, Whether You Had It or Not)
Popular early 60s brands
• Coty Airspun Powder
• Cover Girl Liquid Makeup (newer but huge by mid-60s)
The Look
The goal was matte, smooth, and barely alive—a complexion so powdered you could dust fingerprints off it. Foundations were thick, sometimes chalky, and the “mask ” look was in style.
Toxic or Discontinued Ingredients:
Talc (non-regulated purity in the 60s)
Perfumed additives with undisclosed chemicals
Lanolin-heavy formulas (acne’s best friend)
Early powders sometimes contained asbestos-contaminated talc, long before regulations.
Who Made It Popular?
Sophia Loren — luminous matte goddess
Jackie Kennedy — soft matte finish with pink undertones
Young mod girls who needed a smooth base for all that graphic eyeliner
🌸 3. Blush (Or “Rouge,” If You Were Fancy)
Popular 1965 Blush Brands
• Tangee Rouge
• Revlon Blush-On
The Look
1965 blush was subtle and sweet—think soft pinks and peaches blended high on the cheekbones. Women weren’t yet contouring; they were just trying not to look ghostly under the heavy powder.
Toxic or Discontinued Ingredients:
Red coal-tar dyes
Lanolin (irritant)
Artificial fragrance chemicals
Nothing too lethal—just mildly pore-destroying
Who Made It Popular?
Julie Christie (from Doctor Zhivago)
The “Girl Next Door” archetype
Beauty ads telling women blush was the difference between “glamorous” and “Oh honey, you look tired.”
💨 4. Hairspray (1965’s True MVP)
Popular 1965 Hairspray Brands
• Aqua Net
• Adorn Hairspray
The Look
Hair was big. Tremendously big. Beehives, bouffants, flips, and teased crowns all required what scientists call “structural support” and what women called Aqua Net.
One woman in 1965 used enough hairspray to style her hair, her neighbor’s hair, and possibly weatherproof the backyard patio set.
Toxic or Discontinued Ingredients:
Vinyl chloride (a known carcinogen, later banned)
Flammable propellants
Methylchloroisothiazolinone (irritant)
Basically: extremely effective, moderately dangerous, smelled like a beauty pageant dressing room.
Who Made It Popular?
Dusty Springfield — teased blonde bouffant queen
The Ronettes — hair so high it touched heaven
Housewives who weren’t about to let humidity ruin their day
🎨 5. Hair Dye (From Platinum Bombshell to Jet Black Beatnik)
Popular 1965 Hair Dye Brands
• Clairol—Miss Clairol & Nice ‘n Easy
• L’Oréal — Preference Hair Color
The Look
1965 was when women proudly dyed their hair at home—finally without shame, thanks to Clairol’s famous ads (“Does she… or doesn’t she?”). Popular shades included:
Platinum blonde (thanks to Monroe’s lasting influence)
Soft auburns
Honey blondes
Blue-black mod shades
Toxic or Discontinued Ingredients:
p-Phenylenediamine (PPD) in darker dyes (still used but highly irritating)
Metallic salts in some formulas (now mostly gone)
Ammonia-heavy formulas with very strong fumes
Home dyeing was empowering... and also stung your scalp like betrayal.
Who Made It Popular?
Ann-Margret — vibrant red bombshell
Edie Sedgwick — mod blondes & short cuts
Everyday women who loved the privacy of home dye jobs
🌼 Beauty Hurt, But Women Looked Fabulous
1965 beauty was all about precision, polish, pastels, big hair, and high maintenance. The products were iconic, the looks were unforgettable, and the ingredients… well, some were questionable enough that your modern dermatologist would politely faint.
But one thing is certain:
Women in 1965 were committed to the glam. And honestly? They delivered.
